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Modules

Level 1

This broadly-focused module introduces you to university-level study in the arts across a range of subject areas - art history, classical studies, English, history, philosophy, music and religious studies. It is structured around four themes, in order to guide you through some of the basic concerns of arts subjects: Reputations; Tradition and Dissent; Cultural Encounters; and Place and Leisure. Your studies will range from poetry to string quartets, and from sculpture to short stories – across a wide variety of cultures and historical periods. This key introductory OU level 1 module is also a useful means of acquiring the key skills required for further study of arts and humanities subjects.

This is an interdisciplinary module built around the broad concepts of voices, texts and material culture. It will enable you to extend your understanding of the arts and humanities, both from the perspective of specific disciplines and through interdisciplinary study. The module incorporates elements of art history, classical studies, creative writing, English language studies, heritage studies, history, literature, music, philosophy and religious studies. Throughout the module you will have opportunities to consolidate and extend your critical and analytical abilities, to work collaboratively and to develop flexibility in your writing skills.

Level 2

This module combines a beginners’ course in Latin with the study of Roman culture and literature in translation. You will learn the core principles of the language, reading texts adapted from Livy, and supported by specially designed online resources. Alongside the language, you will explore a range of Latin texts in translation (including Livy, Virgil, Ovid, and Horace) from literary, cultural, and historical angles. The module focuses on the theme of ‘Roman identity and exemplarity’, considering Augustan culture’s preoccupation with identity, Rome’s origins, and exemplary stories from the past. You will also have the opportunity to reflect upon how translation affects our interpretation of ancient literature and culture.

This module is for anyone interested in classical Greece and Rome. You will investigate a wide range of topics (such as the world of Homer; political uses of theatre; art and rhetoric in Athens; the history of the Roman Republican period; Latin poetry and Roman social history), studying sources as varied as poetry, drama, history writing, art, architecture, archaeology, inscriptions, and philosophy. Whether your interest in the classical world is long-standing or new, this module will give you a fresh perspective, develop your skills in analysis and evaluation and lay a firm foundation for further exploration.

This module combines an introduction to classical Greek language with the study of classical Greek culture and literature in translation. It is intended for beginners in Greek and assumes no previous experience of language learning. The module teaches you basic vocabulary and grammar, and sets you on your way to reading Greek texts in the original. The module uses the JACT Reading Greek series, augmented by Study Guides. Your language learning is also supported by specially designed interactive resources. Alongside your language work, you study set texts in English (Euripides’ Medea, Aristophanes’ Clouds and Plato’s Defence of Socrates) from literary, cultural and performance angles.

Level 3

What is myth? This OU level 3 module is a broad interdisciplinary study of Greek and Roman myth in its social, historical, literary and visual context. It combines the detailed study of individual works of literature, art and architecture with an exploration of context, function and purpose. A particular aspect you will study is the reception of mythical ideas and images in later European culture. Interactive visual explorations of key ancient and modern sites, monuments and artefacts relevant to mythological themes are supplied on DVD-ROM – together with audio interviews with experts tracing the influence of myth on, for example, drama, science and medicine.

At its height the Roman empire stretched from Scotland to Syria. This OU level 3 module will introduce you to this empire, addressing questions such as how did this vast multicultural population of diverse ethnic, cultural and religious groups maintain itself? How was it viewed by those who ruled it? What forces held the empire together and what happened when these came under pressure? You will learn how to use written sources and archaeological remains to explore these fundamental questions about what the empire was, how it worked, what it meant to be Roman, and the continuing legacy of the empire.

Postgraduate Modules

Our fascination with ancient Greece and Rome continues to this day. The postgraduate foundation module in classical studies provides some answers to the question, ‘How do we know what we know’ about these two ancient civilisations. It meets this challenge by investigating classical studies as a multidisciplinary field. The fragmentary nature of the evidence requires approaching this question with reference to a variety of sources and using multiple perspectives. The module introduces you to classical studies at postgraduate level, offering a choice of pathways through the material. The module is designed to help you acquire and develop research skills in preparation for further study.

This module forms part 2 of the MA in Classical Studies and allows you to apply the broad skills gained in part 1 to delve more deeply into one particular subject – the ancient body – and to train and supervise you in the skills you need to write your dissertation. The first part takes you through some cutting-edge research on various aspects of the body like birth, death, sickness and beauty, all the time building up your independent research skills so that by the time you start the dissertation section, you are ready to work on your own project.